Motorola has unveiled an Android-powered desktop in China. The HMC3260 system, officially dubbed the CloudBB, comes complete with an 18.5-inch LED touch screen, keyboard, and mouse.

Advertisement

The system will be available in China, with Motorola marketing it as a media hub capable of streaming TV shows, movies, and other cloud-based content. The CloudBB can also be used to play games, browse the Web, write documents, e-mails, and run a slew of Android apps. Motorola teamed up with cloud service provider WASU to load the Cloud BB with content.

"The Motorola HMC3260 not only provides subscribers with a fast broadband connection, it also enables them to enjoy a range of cloud-based services provided by WASU, including games, high-definition television and movies, web browsing and more," said Kevin Keefe, vice president and regional general manager of Motorola's Home Division, Asia. "The powerful touchscreen interface capitalizes on the power and flexibility of Android to enable WASU to differentiate itself from operators who only offer a pipeline for data. It is an important step toward our vision of a smart, simple, connected home."

"While Android is certainly no stranger to dipping its toes in the desktop computer world, it's not often we see big-name manufacturers create an all-out desktop device complete with a mouse and keyboard," notes Android Central's Simon Sage. "It's still running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, so don't expect a whole lot from the Motorola HMC3260, but the concept sure is interesting - [even if] there's no information on pricing or availability."

While it seems unlikely that such Android-based systems will be replacing traditional desktop PCs anytime soon, more advanced chips based on ARM's Cortex A15 may help accelerate the adoption of Android-powered desktops. The CloudBB system packs a Cortex A8, but Cortex A15 chips are significantly faster, and are capable of scaling up to 2.5GHz.

Motorola has not provided details on price and release date yet, and it remains unclear at this point whether this device will ever make its way into the United States as well.